Jealous? Jealous
by lavandalove
Summary: Sequel to The Beginning and The First Mission, Non-massacre AU, short, fluffy not meant to be serious


**Jealous? Jealous**

A week after their return from Suna, the aftermath of the Kazekage's rescue was starting to die down. The biggest hubbub had been about the fact that _Sakura_ had killed a member of the Akatsuki. Why people thought that was so shocking, Itachi didn't know. He also refused to take any kind of credit for the deed. Yes, they'd fought Akasuna no Sasori together, and Sakura insisted that if he hadn't been there she'd probably be dead, but Itachi didn't see it that way. _She'd_ been the one to identify what kind of poison Sasori had used and counteracted it successfully, without her antidote they'd both be dead. She'd also been the one to figure out _how_ to kill the puppet master. She'd also dealt the killing blow. He'd merely provided assistance. So all the credit for the successful extermination of an S-class criminal rightfully belonged to _her._ Even his father agreed with Itachi's reasoning.

A week went by in a frenzy of questions, celebrations and just feeling glad that they were all alive, even Gaara-sama, thanks to Chiyo-baa-san's sacrifice. Itachi was still on break from missions and decided to use his free afternoon to seek out Sakura and talk to her about taking the jounin exams. There was after all, no reason a talented kunoichi shouldn't strive to be better, and reach higher.

Aside from meeting weekly to train and spending time together if they happened upon each other in the village, Itachi had never gone out of his way to meet her, so her surprise at seeing him in the lobby after her shift at the hospital was understandable. He'd quickly explained that he had something important to discuss with her and invited her to join him for an early dinner, which she accepted with a smile.

After their meal was brought to them, Itachi had gone straight to the point, saying that what he'd seen from her during their joint mission was levels above chunin and that in his opinion, she was more than ready for the jounin exams. Then he'd offered to sponsor her. All applicants for the jounin exams needed a recommendation from another jounin, and Kakashi couldn't do that since he was her team leader. Plus, Itachi had said, he was an ANBU captain and a recommendation from such a high ranking shinobi brought in extra points for the exams.

Sakura had been silent for a long while after he'd laid his offer down on the table and he'd left her to her thoughts, understanding that such decisions couldn't be made without thinking over it very thoroughly. But when she'd finally mustered up an answer Itachi had been surprised.

"Before I say either yes or no, I need to talk to Kakashi about it, see what he thinks," she'd said quietly with a small smile. This had disturbed Itachi. He didn't know why, but her going to the Copy Ninja for advice whether she should do something he'd recommended, didn't sit well with him. It made him… uncomfortable? Unhappy? He didn't really understand what he was feeling but he didn't let any of it show when he simply nodded at her.

Kakashi was her team leader, of course she'd value his opinion, but it didn't cease to bother Itachi, to the extent that he couldn't get it off his mind the following day. So when he saw Sakura heading off towards the training grounds, he followed her.

Itachi really didn't like what he was feeling. It was irrational, illogical and just plain unpleasant. Sakura seeking out Kakashi for advice was perfectly natural, he'd been her sensei and main authority figure for years. More than that, Kakashi was the best ninja in the village, the strongest and most respected one. Itachi didn't harbor any resentment towards the Copy Ninja, on the contrary, Hatake Kakashi, who'd once been Itachi's own team leader during his early days in ANBU was one of the very few people Itachi trusted. So Sakura placing her own trust in him shouldn't upset Itachi. It didn't make any sense.

Still, he couldn't help but follow her from a distance making sure to keep his presence completely maksed. Sakura's heightened ability to sense chakra and Kakashi's sensitive nose meant that hiding from either one of them was very difficult. But he was Uchiha Itachi, and he was confident enough in his abilities to know he could pull it off.

Sure enough, Kakashi was where he almost always was, at the cenotaph. Itachi watched from the trees, keeping his chakra suppressed and ensuring to stay upwind from the masked ninja. He was close enough for his enhanced hearing to pick up their conversation, but far enough away that he wouldn't be spotted without them actively looking for him. Hiding in plain sight, 101 on reconnaissance and espionage. And that's exactly what he was doing. He was spying on Sakura. It shamed him, but he couldn't turn away now.

The conversation between student and teacher went predictably. Sakura explained Itachi's offer, Kakashi listened. He didn't show what he felt about it, if anything at all. That was also something Itachi had expected. Kakashi's advice had been for Sakura to follow her own gut. Not to listen to anyone but herself.

"You know your own abilities the best, Sakura-chan," Kakashi had muttered. "You are the best equipped to judge if you're ready to become a jounin. Uchiha-kun is right, your abilities and talents as a ninja are at jounin level. You just have to decide if that is something you want to do. I have no doubt that you'd pass the exams if you entered, especially with an ANBU Captain putting in a recommendation."

Well… Itachi had to concede that Kakashi's words made sense. Passing something as difficult as the jounin exams wasn't dependant on the skills as much as the will. She had to truly want to become a jounin, otherwise she wouldn't give it her all.

What happened next made his throat close up, his chest burn and his stomach clench. What in the world was happening to him?

Sakura stepped closer to Kakashi, wound her arms around his waist and pressed her face into his vest. The silver-haired jounin didn't complain, just chuckled as his own arms closed around the petite girl.

"Thank you," Itachi could just barely hear her over the sound of his own blood and thudding pulse ringing in his ears. "You're the best sensei in the world."

Kakashi's arms squeezed her tighter as the propped his chin on her head. "Thank you, but we both know it's almost a miracle I didn't screw the three of you up. That you became such capable and incredible people had always been up to you."

"No," she whispered again. "You guided us and taught us how to love and respect those around us, without you Sasuke wouldn't trust his own shadow and would have gotten himself killed by now, Naruto still wouldn't be working to fulfill his dreams but running around creating chaos and I would have quit being a ninja altogether. You helped shape the people we've become, sensei. So thank you. Thank you for being you."

Kakashi was visibly shaken and didn't have words so he just held the girl tighter, pressing his face into her hair. Itachi felt like throwing up, his stomach was roiling so much. He shouldn't be here, he shouldn't be witnessing this painfully private moment. But he couldn't look away, no matter how much it hurt.

He was… Jealous.

**AN: **And that concludes the third part. From here on this little series of one shots won't have anything to do with canon anymore. In the next part Itachi attempts to fully understand his feelings while spending more and more time with Sakura.


End file.
